Touch of home returns with Flagpole Radio

Erik Ofgang

Published 9:55 pm, Sunday, May 19, 2013

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Performing in The Flagpole Radio Cafe, from left to right, Rob Bonacorso, Rick Brodsky, Dick Neil, Howie Bujese, Francine Wheeler, Jim Allyn, Martin Blanco, David Wheeler and Kate Katcher at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013. less

Performing in The Flagpole Radio Cafe, from left to right, Rob Bonacorso, Rick Brodsky, Dick Neil, Howie Bujese, Francine Wheeler, Jim Allyn, Martin Blanco, David Wheeler and Kate Katcher at Edmond Town Hall in ... more

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Francine Wheeler sings during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013. Dick Neil on guitar is standing next to her.

Francine Wheeler sings during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013. Dick Neil on guitar is standing next to her.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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David Wheeler performs in a skit during The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May18, 2013.

David Wheeler performs in a skit during The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Seven year old Shane watches The Flagpole Radio Cafe from the balcony of Edmond Town Hall theatre in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Seven year old Shane watches The Flagpole Radio Cafe from the balcony of Edmond Town Hall theatre in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Audience members enjoy The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Audience members enjoy The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Dick Neil, on guitar, and Howie Bujese , on violin, perform during The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Dick Neil, on guitar, and Howie Bujese , on violin, perform during The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Howie Bujese and Francine Wheeler , center, sing while behind them are the Flagpole Radio Cafe Orchestra, from left to right, Dick Neil, Rob Bonacorso, Rick Brodsky and Jim Allyn during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013. less

Howie Bujese and Francine Wheeler , center, sing while behind them are the Flagpole Radio Cafe Orchestra, from left to right, Dick Neil, Rob Bonacorso, Rick Brodsky and Jim Allyn during The Flagpole Radio Cafe ... more

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Cast and members of the audience perform with guest star Christine Lavin during the variety show, The Flagpole Radio Cafe, at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Cast and members of the audience perform with guest star Christine Lavin during the variety show, The Flagpole Radio Cafe, at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Audience members enjoy The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Audience members enjoy The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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The cast of The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show, in Newtown Conn. wave goodbye at the end of the show on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

The cast of The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show, in Newtown Conn. wave goodbye at the end of the show on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Guest star Christine Lavin performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Guest star Christine Lavin performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Barbara Gaines performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Barbara Gaines performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Kate Katcher performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Kate Katcher performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Martin Blanco performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Martin Blanco performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Francine Wheeler performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Francine Wheeler performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Performing in The Flagpole Radio Cafe, from left to right, Martin Blanco, Barbara Gaines, David Wheeler and Kate Katcher at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Performing in The Flagpole Radio Cafe, from left to right, Martin Blanco, Barbara Gaines, David Wheeler and Kate Katcher at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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The Flagpole Radio Cafe Orchestra performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

The Flagpole Radio Cafe Orchestra performs during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Dick Neil, left, and Jim Allyn perform during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Dick Neil, left, and Jim Allyn perform during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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The house ushers help guest star Christine Lavin with one of her numbers during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

The house ushers help guest star Christine Lavin with one of her numbers during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Howie Bujese, on violin, Dick Neil, on guitar and Francine Wheeler singing during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Howie Bujese, on violin, Dick Neil, on guitar and Francine Wheeler singing during The Flagpole Radio Cafe at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show was performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

The Flagpole Radio Cafe, a locally produced musical variety and comedy show was performed at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn. on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Photo: H John Voorhees III

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Touch of home returns with Flagpole Radio

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It feels like Newtown again.

That was the sentiment expressed by many who attended Saturday night's installment of the Flagpole Radio Cafe. The curtain had not risen on the homespun Newtown sketch comedy and music variety show since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, but the show returned with a joyful fervor Saturday.

Featured prominently in the performance were Flagpole Cafe ensemble members Francine and David Wheeler, who lost their first-grade son, Ben, in the Newtown tragedy. Audience members included Jimmy Greene and his wife, Nelba Márquez-Greene, who lost their 6-year-old daughter, Ana Grace, in the shootings.

Though the tragedy was never mentioned directly, halfway through the show the evening reached an emotional high point when Francine Wheeler sang a lead number with the Flagpole Cafe band, which is led by Jim Allyn.

Dressed in a black shirt and dark blue jeans, and accurately described by the show's co-producer Martin Blanco as looking like actress Marisa Tomei, Francine Wheeler walked to the front of the stage and spoke quietly into a microphone.

"About three months ago we had a performance with Dar Williams," she said referring to a benefit concert members of the Flagpole Radio Cafe performed with Williams, Peter Yarrow and Guy Williams at the Ridgefield Playhouse in February. "She wrote a song that was just a great song and I loved it, and I asked her if I could sing it and she said sure, so this is called `After All.' "

The song is a bittersweet ballad about choosing to carry on despite the struggles of life.

"It's better to have fallen in love than never to have fallen at all," Francine Wheeler sang. When she finished, the audience gave a tearful standing ovation.

The rest of the night was light-hearted and joyful. David Wheeler performed in a variety of skits and was joined on stage by Kate Katcher, Barbara Gaines, the show's co-producer, and Blanco, who in addition to co-producing the show acts as its MC and writes most of the skits. With classic straight-man delivery, David Wheeler portrayed a cast of characters including a snobby member of a small-town zoning board who gives his new neighbor a citation for erecting a mailbox without a permit; an unruly kid on school trip to Washington, D.C.; and a good-natured husband who cannot make his wife or mother happy on Mother's Day.

"One thing that always struck me about this production is its authenticity," Kaiser said. "I was glad to see such a great turnout."

Beyond comedy, the evening was full of music. Lavin is a multi-award-winning performer whose concerts have become a fixture in folk-pop culture. Before performing, she hosted an informal knitting circle in the lobby of the theater, which she does before every show. During the show, she launched into a series of her trademark comedic songs and stories.

During one song, she pulled male members of the audience on stage with her to help sing the chorus of "Sensitive New Age Guys," a playful ode to men who drive hybrid cars and have hyphenated last names.

The evening came to an uplifting close when the Flagpole Cafe band played the Beatles' "Eight Days a Week." Francine Wheeler sang along with other members of the house band. During the song, Lavin, known for her baton-twirling skills, and Gaines danced through the audience twirling glow-in-the-dark batons.

After the show, several Newtown residents said they were inspired by the performance.